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Minnesota Goddamn!
Oct. 29th, 2003 12:50 amAfter leaving Pittsburgh Wednesday, I went to the National Lawyers Guild convention in Minneapolis. The NLG is an organization of progressive lawyers and law students, with a focus on immigration, police brutality, and international law.
The lawyer from Seattle I hung out with and his wife were kind enough to introduce me to Lynne Stewart and her husband, and we had dinner with them Thursday and Saturday night. Stewart was arrested last year as part of John Ashcroft's holy war against "terrorism," in which technicalities such as the Constitution are obstacles to total victory.
Say what you will about defending accused terrorists (serial killers, rapists, etc.), but the strength of the American justice system is that people accused of such heinous crimes are entitled to legal representation - and some lawyer has to provide that representation. I'm sure John Ashcroft would like the famous drunk and sleeping Texas lawyers Dubya told him about, but the legitimacy of the American court system turns on having zealous lawyers like Stewart on both sides of controversial cases.
In addition, Stewart was a wonderful dining partner, and her husband was an interesting character in his own right.
Of course, you don't want to hear me talking about law. That's boring. You want to hear me talking about DRINKING!!
( Read more... )
The lawyer from Seattle I hung out with and his wife were kind enough to introduce me to Lynne Stewart and her husband, and we had dinner with them Thursday and Saturday night. Stewart was arrested last year as part of John Ashcroft's holy war against "terrorism," in which technicalities such as the Constitution are obstacles to total victory.
Say what you will about defending accused terrorists (serial killers, rapists, etc.), but the strength of the American justice system is that people accused of such heinous crimes are entitled to legal representation - and some lawyer has to provide that representation. I'm sure John Ashcroft would like the famous drunk and sleeping Texas lawyers Dubya told him about, but the legitimacy of the American court system turns on having zealous lawyers like Stewart on both sides of controversial cases.
In addition, Stewart was a wonderful dining partner, and her husband was an interesting character in his own right.
Of course, you don't want to hear me talking about law. That's boring. You want to hear me talking about DRINKING!!
( Read more... )
